Ukraine’s south-east needs humanitarian aid — Finnish FM

HELSINKI, August 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s troubled south-east needs humanitarian help though the situation is not catastrophic yet, Finland's Foreign Minister, Erkki Tuomioja, told local television on Monday.

“The situation in this region has not yet assumed the scale of catastrophe like that in Gaza or Iraq. But it is quite complex,” he said, adding that aid to the region would be welcome.

International humanitarian organizations are ready to start working in the region, but this should be done “under the supervision of the Ukrainian government,” Tuomioja said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sent an official address to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations on August 4 asking them to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s south-east. The ICRC supported the initiative.